2005 Season
The 2005 Kanaka Ikaika season saw some familiar names plus the arrival of the next generation of Anuenue paddlers.

Nappy, Aaron, Darryn, and David were joined by Sepa Napoleon making his debut as he paddled in several events. Aaron came on strong with a long course overall second in the KI States race while Gaylord Wilcox and Nappy took a second and third short course age group finish. Sepa finished the short course race 14 minutes behind grandfather Nappy -"Brutal ," he commented, "I don't know how you (old) guys do it." Despite a late flip, David and Darryn finished first in the short course OC-2 event. Nappy topped off the year with another solo Moloka'i crossing. Other club paddlers in KI races included Cappy Sheeley and Dr. Pete (every race duriing the season) in the 60s, and the duo of Shari/Sam Mango.
Nappy puts the pedal to the metal down the stretch after a little over five hours of paddling in the solo Moloka'i race
Relay events:
Nappy and Gaylord teamed up as usual in the annual Moloka'i relay event and battled across a flat channel for a second in the senior master division, while David and Darryn were joined by first-timers Sepa and Thane Lyu in the OC-2 category. A week earlier Reina Garcia and Jacque Venuta took a little trip to Maui to team up with two outer island friends in the Maui Challenge, finishing third in their OC-2 division.
Enjoying good conditions at the Kauai Challenge, Aaron and David Beck finished tenth overall in an event growing in popularity with more international paddlers participating. Once again, Nappy and Gaylord teamed up to bring home all the loot for a first in the 60s category. Reina and Jacque were joined by David and Darryn for a third in the OC-2 mixed division.
Regatta Season:
At the halfway point in the regatta season, there was no question that Anuenue's youth crews were going to have big years. On the other hands, their elders were having trouble breaking into the scoring column. The boys and girls 14s especially were making a lot of noise. The men's novice A crew was getting close and improving while the older crews were struggling trying to find the right combination.
MacFarlane 2005:
It was an action-packed day at Waikiki that saw some exciting races, photofinishes, hulis and near-misses as steersmen tried to find the sweet spot in the surf. Anuenue paddlers had a lot to celebrate with a third place division finish overall and three gold medals (14 boys, Novice A men, mixed kids special event, and a win by the mixed 55 crew that was disallowed because of a questionable starting line violation).
Besides near misses, there were also some collisions out on the course that brought some oohs and aahs from the spectators. The most notable mishap occurred in the senior women's event where Hui Lanikila with a clear lead going into the final turn around the flag in front of the beach was broadsided by a Kailua crew just coming into the turn thanks to a big surge that jumped up at just the wrong time. The result of this pretty unavoidable crash was a broken ama and an end to the crews championship hopes. For Anuenue there were some spin outs but no collisions. However as the photo below shows, a race is never over until you cross the line. What was going to be a gold medal turned into a hearbreak just in front of the line. Nappy helps convincing the judges as the boys 14s cross the line but there was no doubt! See below!
In contrast to the disappointment of being so close before disaster struck, the photos to the right and below tell a different story as the Novice A crew steered by David Napoleon celebrates their gold.
Six Anuenue crews made the trip to Maui for the State Championships as paddlers gathered on the Valley Isle. They were joined by ESPN who were doing their 50 States in 50 days feature. Nappy got some airtime as he talked about paddling and racing over the years. Unlike the previous States on Maui where darkness overcame the final races, this year's regatta went off on schedule. When it was all over, the 14 boys went home with a third place medal and the combined efforts of the other youth crews plus an assist from golden masters men and women helped propel the club up to a seventh place finish in the "A" division (out of 28 point scoring crews). With the continued development of the young paddlers plus a better year for the adult crews, the outlook for regatta season 2006 was good. All thoughts turned to most everyone's favorite time of the year, the long distance events.

Long Distance 2005:
Two Anuenue crews (open men and women) participated in the majority of the pre-Moloka'i distance events, and had good results finishing in the top half of the fleet.They consistently put in long practice hours and finished after dark at times, leaving their elders in the club shaking their heads in amazement Meanwhile the golden master crews were preparing for Moloka'i at their own pace! Two men's crews (55+ and 60+) entered the Kona race as iron crews with the 60 crew finishing second to their rivals from Illinois. Later a group of Anuenue paddlers jumped in with their Big Island friends to take the kupuna double hull event. Nappy took a timeout for something new - a trip to Vermont to participate in a 3-day marathon canoe race!
Women's open crew in action stroking past Makapu'u in the annual Dad Center race.
Moloka'i-Oahu 2005:
The 2005 Na Wahine race was marked by flat conditions, slow times and a new winner, Team Bradley, who stepped in a took the title in the absence of two-time defending champion Moolooloba. The Anuenue open crew made it across the line in just under seven hours (42nd overall out of 72 teams) while several women paddled with a combined Golden Master crew to do the crossing.
Choppy conditions with an adverse current made for a long day out on the water for 107 crews who took off from Hale o Lono in the Moloka'i Hoe. Repeat winner Lanikai finished in 5:17:00. Anuenue's open crew was a very creditable 34th overall (6:27:04) while the Golden Master's crew placed third in their division (7:08:48).
Two weeks after Moloka'i., Anuenue's prime time paddlers headed for Haleiwa and the annual Blue Makua race. Instead of another mellow day on the North Shore, it turned out to be an epic victory-at-sea race with big waves, rain and wind that made for a lot of stories to be told by the finishers. There were several crews that turned around and one canoe lost with a broken ama. The 55+ crew with a third and the 60+ crew with a second were among the survivors! Later the mixed and women's crews raced a 4-lap course inside the harbor, and Reina and Jacque sat 1 & 2 in the winning Waimanalo mixed crew. A memorable Saturday finished off with a season-ending club party in Kaneohe hosted by Carl and Stacey Evensen featuring the best in food and fun. Thanks, guys! Next on the agenda is the 2006 one-man season and World Sprints in New Zealand in March. The fun never stops!
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